MAGICAL MONDAYS WITH 'KREATE'

CHAPTER XIX

Sumbo

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Adrien pulled the car into a parking spot beside the tall structure of LeMeridien hospital; the same hospital I had noticed on the first visit to Edna’s. The events of the last few hours were still rich in my mind and it seemed surreal.  The physician on duty, Doctor Royapally had corroborated the sentiments of the paramedics, saying that Tubosun had been very lucky to be alive. ‘Only a handful of people who have cardiac arrests live to tell the story,’ he had said in a thick Indian accent. But I still couldn’t shake off the ominous feeling that Tubosun might die because of the dream. 

The sound of Adrien’s door clamping shut brought me back to reality, so I grabbed the bag containing Tubosun’s clothes and a few grooming essentials and exited the automobile. The air smelt fresh and the weather of Sunday’s dawn was calm, albeit a little chilly. The bag seemed heavier as I slung it over my shoulder. Adrien circled the car to where I stood and offered to carry the bag. He was smiling heartily but looked slightly white from exhaustion. 

The only person who had gotten some sleep, and in fact was still snoozing fitfully, last time I checked, was Tubosun. ‘Thanks, Aid,’ I said, handing him the load. 

‘It’s the first time anyone’s cut my name short,’ he grinned.

‘Oh,’ I yawned. ‘I didn’t realize I had called you that. I’m beaten.’

‘I like it.’

I put an arm around his, leaning for support as we trudged on in direction of the hospital’s entrance. 

Tubosun was still asleep when we arrived, drip-feed draining intravenously into his left arm from a plastic bag attached to a thin but sturdy pole. A monitor revealing moving pink lines was also hooked to one of his fingers via a wire. He looked peaceful and yet so vulnerable. Was the angel of death still lurking around some corner, observing our mundane interactions, waiting to strike? I shook the thought out of my head. Get a grip, woman, I told myself. My eyes drifted to Edna; she was wide awake, seated on a sofa, watching him intently like a mother chicken. I hesitated at the entrance, watching her fondly. She had been calm and strong all through the incident. She had made sure Tubosun was transferred to the most comfortable room in the hospital. Her motherly eyes met mine and there, I knew I loved her. I walked up to her and embraced her. ‘Thank you, Edna,’ I said effusively before pulling away. 

‘I would not have done it any other way.’ Her voice sounded surprised at my comment. ‘I am happy to be of help, my lovely.’ 

‘How is he?’ I asked gazing at the figure on the bed.

‘The doctor says his vitals are stable and he just needs some rest - a lot of it by the look of things. He also said he would like to have Tubosun monitored for a couple of days. He was optimistic that Tubosun would be ready to go home by the weekend.’

‘That’s good news,’ I said and went over Tubosun’s bed to plant a kiss on his forehead.  

‘Morning, Mrs. Padraig,’ Adrien greeted. I turned my face up to look at him as he settled the bag gently on a wooden shelf at the left corner of the room.

‘Thank you, Adrien,’ Edna said warmly. ‘You’ve been wonderful.’

‘Yes, thank you, Adrien,’ I said, tears welling up in my eyes. I strode over to the other side of the bed and gave him a hug. ‘You saved his life.’

‘No more tears again, please. And you have said enough thank yous to last me a lifetime,’ he said, slowly disentangling himself. Then he turned to Edna. ‘Is it okay if I go to the visitors’ lounge?’

‘As you please, my dear,’ Edna said. And Adrien stepped out of the room, quietly shutting the door behind him. I yawned again.

‘Please have the seat. I have done enough seating for the day.’ Edna got up and relaxed against the wall. 

‘Thanks,’ I said and took the seat. It felt good.  

‘Has his family been notified?’ I asked, watching my man.

‘Yes,’ Edna replied. ‘His phone has rung a couple of times and I decided it wise to answer the call. I reckoned they must be worried. I spoke to his mum and Dad, telling them that he was asleep and that I’ll get him to give them a call when he wakes up. Lovely people, his mum, and dad. Shame they are far away in Nigeria.’ 

The sound of a creaking door caught my ears and I automatically turned to see who had come in. 

‘Morning.’ It was an afro-haired lady in a white shirt tucked professionally into a pair of black trousers, and a stethoscope hanging casually around her neck. She was beaming. ‘I am Tayo, and I’ll be taking over from Doctor Royapally.’ She walked up to me, extended a hand.

The familiarity of the face smiling at me was undeniable. I knew exactly where I had seen that face. I was flabbergasted but regained composure quickly. ‘I am Sumbo, Tubosun’s girlfriend,’ I said, shaking her hand. Then introduced Edna, ‘and this is Edna, my very good friend.’ ‘A pleasure making your acquaintance again, Tayo’ Edna said.

‘Hello Mrs. Padraig,’ Doctor Tayo acknowledged Edna. Edna was obviously popular well known. ‘And how is our man doing?’ The doctor walked over to the bed, then bent over, employing the stethoscope around her neck to check his heartbeats. Her gaze went to the monitor.

‘Everything looks fine from here. He should be up on his feet in no time. At this rate he should be home in your arms before the week runs out,’ she pronounced, throwing me an amiable glance. She straightened up and turned towards the door. ‘Thank you, Doctor.’ I said.

‘Always a pleasure. I have to see other patients now. I’m sure I’ll be over again at some point today.’ And with that, she left.

‘You seemed shocked at the sight of Tayo,’ Edna said. ‘Do you know her from somewhere?’  I dragged my gaze from the door, settling it on Edna. ‘She is the one in my dream. The two dreams, actually. I’m certain of it.’ 

Edna smiled and nodded simultaneously. Her eyes did not reflect the surprise I expected. ‘Remember the last conversation we had that revolved around your dreams?’ I recalled every part of our discussion. I nodded.

‘Well, I had suspected you were – how do I put it – like me. This only confirms it.’ I looked at her like she was talking drivel. But there was some sense to her nonsense. Edna continued: ‘You see I never once had a dream until I purchased a wooden necklace that caught my fancy from a local shop in Kenya during a vacation several years ago.  I remember bonding with the necklace the moment I tried it on. I did not take it off for a week. From that night I started dreaming but they were regular dreams. They still are. The flashes on the other hand began a week after I bought that necklace.’ She paused, I presumed, to allow the weight of her words sink in, then continued:

‘The fact that your dream, my flash, and the reality of how you met Tubosun were so similar made this realization completely elusive until the previous conversation we had.’ She smiled to herself. ‘Even when you told me that you weren’t the lady in the dream, I assumed symbolism was involved, which is not unusual when it comes to dreams.  It was only when I found out everyone in your dreams was unfamiliar to you that I began to suspect something was off. As I had never encountered a case of that nature, I was still perplexed. Then the question regarding your dream history popped into my mind by sheer happenstance. Your answer had given a certainty that was almost perfect.’ Relief flooded my entire being. ‘So Tubosun is not going to die.’

‘No, he is not.’

It all almost made sense now. ‘How come I didn’t have the same dream you had about me?’

‘Honestly, I do not know. I haven’t met anyone like me until - well you. However, I suspect the purpose of that flash was to form a bond between us.’

‘Fair enough.’ Another question popped into my mind. ‘But I have had two separate dreams about the doctor without even making the first contact. Why do you suppose this is?’

‘I have no idea. Apparently, there is something different about you. Time will tell,’ she smiled.  I was curious about the wooden necklace. ‘Where is that wooden necklace? I have never seen it around your neck.’

‘In some dumpsite, probably. I chucked it away after having my first flash about someone dying. I had reckoned it was cursed.’ Understanding that feeling, I broke in a peal of soft laughter. As I laughed, the implication of the dreams dawned and I felt a twinge of guilt at how my relief equated Doctor Tayo’s ominous future. Edna must have caught my expression for she said: ‘This is not the time, nor place-’

‘Hey, I thought I was the center of attention,’ someone interjected. It was Tubosun. I all but hurtled to his side. ‘How are you, my love?’

‘My lips are dry. Anything you can do?’ I smiled. Barely strong, he had already regained his sense of humor.

‘This,’ I said, leaning over. And we kissed.

Kreate is a budding Nigerian writer with a flair for fiction. Writing for him began sometime in secondary school where he dabbled in poetry and plays. He has authored two self-published short novels.
He is a banker and lives in Surulere.